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GHG selects INetU as dedicated managed hosting provider for Valencia

Gorman Health Group announced today that they have chosen INetU as the dedicated managed hosting provider for their healthcare software platform, Valencia.

13 Apr 2010

Yearly flu shots recommended for adults in 50-64 age group

The proportion of Americans with diabetes ages 18 to 64 who reported getting flu shots the previous year rose from 40 percent to 50.5 percent between 2000 and 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 Apr 2010

SCAN Health Plan honors Monarch HealthCare of Orange County with Wave award

Monarch HealthCare of Orange County has been named this year's recipient of SCAN Health Plan's "Wave" award, presented annually to a medical group that combines "high levels of performance or improvement in the field of geriatrics" with a "strong commitment to care for seniors and SCAN members."

13 Apr 2010

Copaxone achieves one million patient years of experience in treatment of RRMS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. announced today that Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate injection), has now achieved one million patient years of experience in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This analysis is based on internal data submitted annually to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

13 Apr 2010

False claims to Medicare: Los Angeles DME company owner pleads guilty

The owner and operator of a Los Angeles durable medical equipment (DME) company pleaded guilty today to submitting nearly one half of a million dollars in false claims to Medicare, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.

13 Apr 2010

UPMC Health Plan to host training session on child health- We Can!

UPMC Health Plan will host a two-day training session designed to teach community leaders about We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) April 27-28, 2010, at Marriott City Center Hotel, Uptown.

13 Apr 2010

KHN column - Medicare advantage competitive pricing: The political failure of a good idea

Few Americans should be satisfied with the way the government pays private health insurance plans that participate in the Medicare Advantage program. Taxpayers pay 14 percent more to insure a beneficiary through the Advantage program than through traditional, fee-for-service Medicare, the program's 'public option.'

13 Apr 2010

Survey reveals Gamunex as preferred IGIV therapy among neurologists

Talecris Biotherapeutics, Inc., today announced results of a new survey showing that Gamunex® (Immune Globulin Intravenous [Human], 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified) is the preferred immune globulin intravenous (IGIV) among neurologists who indicated a brand preference. In the survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Talecris, neurologists selected Gamunex over four times more often than all other available liquid IGIV therapies, with a statistically significant margin (p<0.05).

13 Apr 2010

More states coping with primary care shortage

In a major feature, The Tennessean reports that the "nation is short 16,663 primary care doctors, and by 2025 that number will reach nearly 140,000, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians."

12 Apr 2010

With health debate resolved, investors see continued health sector growth

After months of uncertainty during the health-overhaul debate, financial analysts and mutual fund managers are feeling more stable and seeing upsides from the new law, The New York Times reports. "There does not seem to be any onerous cost control," one analyst said. Another added, "There is just an expansion of coverage [and] not a lot of surprises."

12 Apr 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Immigration as a solution; Health care comparative shopping; and Medicare Advantage competitive pricing

Forty years ago there were five workers for every retiree. Now there are three. Within a couple of decades, there will be only two workers per retiree. There's no way just two workers will be able or willing to pay enough payroll taxes to keep benefits flowing to every retiree (Robert Reich, 4/11).

12 Apr 2010

Orszag says new Medicare payment board will help lower deficit

"An Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) established under the healthcare reform act will help to ensure the nation's future fiscal health, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said Thursday," McKnight's Long Term Care News & Assisted Living reports. "If set up correctly, the Medicare payment board will contribute to a reduction in national health costs and the federal deficit, Orszag said before the Economic Club of Washington last week, according to the Bureau of National Affairs.

12 Apr 2010

How will the health overhaul affect you?

Nonprofit and advocacy Web sites, online "chats" with government officials, and hotlines for lawmakers are getting barraged with questions about how the health law will affect Americans, Kaiser Health News reports. "No matter which source they turn to, consumers are asking about every element of the bill. People who don't have health care coverage want to know how they can enroll in the high-risk pools that are scheduled to be up and running within 90 days.

12 Apr 2010

Aetna hit with penalty, suspended from signing up new Medicare members

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare officials have suspended the Aetna insurance company from enrolling new members for "its Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription-drug plans because the insurer didn't comply with rules about changing drug-plan designs, the government said." The sanctions come after the government says the Connecticut-based insurance company did not "meet requirements to make sure seniors could continue on their medications during changes to the Aetna plans in 2009 and those offered this year."

12 Apr 2010

Americans asking: 'How will health reform help me?'

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey writes about the questions stemming from the new health reform law: "David wanted to know how the new health care overhaul law would impact retiree health care coverage.

12 Apr 2010

Eclipsys introduces Sunrise Enterprise 5.5 integrated software solutions for healthcare industry

Eclipsys Corporation, The Outcomes Company® today announced the availability of Sunrise Enterprise™ 5.5 — a rich suite of integrated software solutions that serves to differentiate Eclipsys™ and its client base within the healthcare industry.

12 Apr 2010

Study explains why Hispanics are less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening

A new study finds that Hispanics live in areas with more limited availability of colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies for colorectal cancer screening. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that differences in areas' capacity for providing these procedures may explain why Hispanics are less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening than non-Hispanic whites.

12 Apr 2010

CCP introduces Concierge Choice Cardiology for non-invasive cardiologists

The nation's leader in hybrid concierge medicine, Concierge Choice Physicians, has introduced the first targeted and viable concierge program for non-invasive cardiologists who also provide other internal medicine services to patients. Called Concierge Choice Cardiology, the new program employs the CCP hybrid model to offset many of the economic and professional challenges that recent changes in reimbursement rates have created.

12 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 12, 2010

Among today's headlines are stories about House lawmakers facing the music back home regarding their health votes.

12 Apr 2010

DMPC to guarantee DM and wellness outcomes for elite group

Al Lewis, president of the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium, Inc., the founder and first president of the Disease Management Association of America and the person most often credited with establishing the metrics by which disease management is measured announced today that he will be personally validating and guaranteeing disease management (DM) and wellness outcomes for an elite, award-winning group of vendors, health plans, benefits consultants and employers.

12 Apr 2010